The 2016 Census population data released by Statistics Canada last week may be something of a mixed bag, perhaps depending on where one calls home or how they view the numbers.
Canada's overall population saw an increase, going up to 35,151,728; a growth of 5% since the last census taken in 2011, when the country was at approximately 33.5 million people. The increase of nearly 1.6 million people was driven largely by growth out here in Western Canada, where the provinces of Saskatchewan (6.3% growth), Alberta (11.6% growth) and Manitoba (5.8% growth) recorded the most growth in the country for the first time since Confederation, according to the data from Statistics Canada.
As well, the six fastest-growing metropolitan areas were all in Western Canada: Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Lethbridge, and Kelowna.
Alberta had also been the fastest-growing province in the censuses taken in 2011 and 2006.
Roughly two thirds of the population increase in 2016 was due to net immigration into Canada, while the rest was from new births.
Taking a look at the East Coast, the four Atlantic provinces recorded the lowest growth in the country; Prince Edward Island came in at 1.9%, Newfoundland and Labrador at 1%, and 0.2% in Nova Scotia. New Brunswick's population decreased by 0.5%, the only province with a decline since the last census in 2011.
In Saskatchewan, the data shows that our province grew by 64,971 people, going up to 1,098,352 people from 1,033,381 in 2011. The city of Saskatoon saw a 10.9% increase, going up to 246,376, while the city of Regina saw a 11.4% increase, going up to 215,106 people.
Particularly impressive was the incredible 55.1% growth of the city of Warman, which shot up to 11,020 people in 2016, compared to 7,104 in 2011. The accomplishment makes the neighboring Saskatoon-area community the fastest-growing municipality in the entire country.
In a released statement, Premier Brad Wall said the province has come far in the last ten years, and that while there are hurdles ahead, the future is something of a welcome challenge.
"The new census numbers show how far Saskatchewan has come in the past decade compared to the decade before that, when we were still losing people and some said it would be impossible for Saskatchewan to grow by even 100,000 people in 10 years," said Wall. "Obviously, given the current fiscal situation, a growing population presents some challenges for our province, but I would much rather be facing the challenges of growth than the challenges of decline."
Narrowing the data down to the town of Outlook and its surrounding communities, the population numbers show a mixture of increases and decreases.
The Census figures on Outlook itself show an increase of 3.4%, equating to an additional 75 people between 2011 and last year, putting the population at 2,279. By comparison, the neighboring town of Rosetown saw a 5.8% increase, going up to 2,451 people from 2,317.
However, it should be noted that at a recent town council meeting following the release of the Census numbers by Statistics Canada, council disputed the reported population number for Outlook, as it's believed the town is larger than 2,279 people and only seems to be growing.
Below is the population data from the 2016 Census for villages, RM's and communities in the regional area:
Beechy
2016 - 228
2011 - 239
Broderick
2016 - 85
2011 - 71
RM of Canaan
2016 - 140
2011 - 149
Conquest
2016 - 160
2011 - 176
RM of Coteau
2016 - 475
2011 - 420
Delisle
2016 - 1038
2011 - 975
Dinsmore
2016 - 289
2011 - 318
Elbow
2016 - 337
2011 - 314
RM of Fertile Valley
2016 - 539
2011 - 511
Glenside
2016 - 76
2011 - 84
Hanley
2016 - 511
2011 - 522
Hawarden
2016 - 52
2011 - 50
Kenaston
2016 - 282
2011 - 285
Loreburn
2016 - 107
2011 - 107
RM of Loreburn
2016 - 327
2011 - 346
Lucky Lake
2016 - 289
2011 - 287
Macrorie
2016 - 68
2011 - 65
Milden
2016 - 167
2011 - 181
RM of Milden
2016 - 327
2011 - 283
Outlook
2016 - 2,279
2011 - 2,204
RM of Rudy
2016 - 466
2011 - 471
Strongfield
2016 - 40
2011 - 40
Wiseton
2016 - 79
2011 - 88
